The Oscar race: Tip sheet on winners and losers

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, but yearning is making a comeback at the 2012 Academy Awards.

Not only is the Feb. 26 Oscar party hosted by former emcee Billy Crystal, the nomination leaders are chuck full of remember-when themes.

Both the family fable, Hugo, (with 11 nominations) and the black-and-white silent film, The Artist, (with 10) count on reminiscences from the early days of cinema when silence spoke volumes.

Since the picture with the most nods usually wins the best picture Oscar —14 out of the last 20 times — the statue should go to Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. However, chances are the Michel Hazanavicius-directed The Artist will scoop up the coveted award.

Yet, Scorsese has supporters in the director category. The Oscar winner for The Departed in 2007 took a departure from crime thrillers with the fantasy, family friendly Hugo, about a boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station and a one-time director of moving pictures.

Certainly, his loyal crew of actors were thrilled to be a part of his Hugo ensemble. Emily Mortimer, who previously worked with Scorsese on the macabre Shutter Island, was excited about re-teaming with him. Whatever the genre, Mortimer said Scorsese trusts his actors. “He gives you licence to find the lights and darks in a character,” she said.

The best actor trophy could also be scooped up by The Artist’s Jean Dujardin. His measured and debonair turn as a silent film star, on his last legs thanks to the advent of sound, has been winning hearts since the film’s breakout debut at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Mind you, he is up against two Hollywood giants: Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Pitt’s portrayal of a baseball executive in Moneyball, and Clooney’s performance as a grieving husband and confused dad in The Descendants, have been played off against each other since both premiered their respective movies at 2011’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Neither movie star seemed that enamoured with the prospect of an Oscar, however. And, Clooney’s been-there-and-done-that attitude probably won’t help in the final tally. But who can blame the guy? He’s been feeding off of a steady diet of Academy adulation for the past six years.

Besides his best actor nod in 2012, he’s also up for an adapted screenplay nomination for The Ides of March. He won the supporting actor trophy for 2005’s Syriana, picked up a director and original screenplay nod for 2005’s Good Night, and Good Luck, and earned best actor nominations for 2007’s Michael Clayton and 2009’s Up in the Air.

“I’ve won an award once, so when I die, they can say ‘Oscar winner,’” Clooney said. “It’s a great sort of thing to have on the tombstone.” But here’s what he’s getting at: “I really appreciate it when people enjoy the work, but I don’t have this dying need to collect things.”

Pitt’s more playful, and a little more philosophical, about Oscarmania, and all the campaigning leading up to the glitzy shindig when Tinseltown lives up to its reputation.

Gary Oldman’s less glib about his best actor nomination for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Maybe it’s because this is his first Academy salute after a career of acclaimed portrayals. Despite his lofty reputation, even he admitted to being “terrified” with the challenge of playing Cold War spy George Smiley, famously defined by Sir Alec Guinness in an award-winning 1970s Brit miniseries based on John le Carre’s novel.

Both Oldman and Guinness feature “the stillness” in Smiley, but Oldman thinks there’s a subtle difference. “I got from the book that there’s a little bit of a sadist in George Smiley and, if anything, Guinness was a little more huggable than mine.”

The best actress category is all about friends; Meryl Streep versus Viola Davis. They bonded with 2008’s Doubt, which earned Streep yet another best actress nomination and Davis her first nod in the supporting category.

In 2012, the race is too close to call, although Davis might have newcomer recognition on her side for her heartfelt performance in The Help as the stoic maid Aibileen, in 1960s Mississippi. Streep’s portrayal of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady is all about historical acknowledgment — Streep’s and Thatcher’s.

This is the renowned actress’s 17th nomination, but she’s only won twice; for her supporting role in 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer and her best actress for 1983’s Sophie’s Choice. Still, she never takes it for granted, especially since she’s been nominated four out of the last five years.

“No, I’m very gratified that people are responding,” said Streep. “I seem to have more choices in the last five years than in the previous five years.”

Newcomer Rooney Mara is up for her first best actress Oscar for her compelling performance as the brilliant, enigmatic computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Her immersion in the role almost overwhelmed her during the shoot, but Mara said she embraced Salander’s isolation.

“The biggest change that I noticed is that when you sort of look slightly off like that, people seem to pay less attention to you,” Mara said. “And, I actually really enjoyed that.”

Toronto-born and Montreal-raised Christopher Plummer said that Mara deserves all the attention. The stage and screen veteran, nominated for his supporting role in Beginners, co-starred in Dragon Tattoo and marvelled at Mara’s commitment to detail.

“When one sees that kind of extraordinary courage and dedication, with an accent that’s impeccable, you know that’s a star,” said Plummer of Mara.

He’s been an actor for six decades, so he knows what he’s talking about.

He is also the favourite to pick up his first Oscar for his portrayal of a terminally ill widower belatedly coming out of the closet. Previously nominated for 2009’s The Last Station, Plummer graciously praised his Beginners co-star Ewan McGregor (who plays his son) for his celebrated portrayal.

“Ewan doesn’t act, he inhabits a role,” said Plummer. “And, of course, he makes you not act, and inhabit the role, like it’s a competition. I owe that to him.”

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